Worldwide, Rwanda is known as the Singapore of Africa, prior to this it was known as the Switzerland of Africa.
After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, this country has faced challenges and achieved remarkable success in building a great education system.
The government of Rwanda has shown a considerable commitment to the Education sector whereby 2020/21 it allocated 5.62 Billion Rwandan Francs which means 10.6% of the budget directed to public institutions.
According to Rwanda’s High Education Council, there exist 34 institutions of higher education in Rwanda, 6 universities merged into 1 public university and six public colleges, and 23 private universities.
If you are going to study in Rwanda for a longer period of time you will need to apply for a Visa.
This article will guide you through the whole process of the application step by step on how to get a Student VISA in Rwanda.
Apply to a school or university in Rwanda
Before applying for a student VISA known as Study and Research Permit, this is for people who are in Rwanda for study purposes and occupational trainees.
Primo, you need to be enrolled at a Rwandan school, after you have received an admission letter from a school, you will need this document to proceed with your VISA (Study Permit ) application.
In Rwanda, an entry VISA can be applied online or upon arrival from people coming from any place in the world.
Check also: Universities offering scholarships to african students in Rwanda
Requirements for a Student VISA application
-Any genuine travel document (Passeport or Laissez Passer) valid for not less than 6 months.
-Recommendation or Admission letter from the school you are enrolled to
-Sponsorship letter
-Criminal record clearance (Criminal record certificate) from the Police of your country for students above 18 years of age, plus it must be issued within the last six months.
How to apply for a student VISA online through IREMBO
IremboGov is an online platform that is making the government’s services more accessible and more efficient to everyone at any geographical location.
The platform allows users to apply for VISA, this service is provided by the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration (DGIE) of Rwanda.
Prerequisites before applying:
You might be asking yourself if you really need an account to do anything on IREMBO
-Applicants with or without an Irembo Account can apply for this service
-Applicants should have a Passeport
-Applicants should have knowledge of the type of VISA they are applying for (Study or Research)
-Attachments depend on the VISA type, Here are some common ones, an application letter, a copy of the passport biodata page, plus a Photo with a white background.
Note: This Permit is applied when the applicant has already arrived in Rwanda.
Follow these instructions for a successful application
- Visit the website www.irembo.gov.rw, under Immigration and Emigration, Click on Permits
- After clicking on Permits, You will see two options under the Request Type “ Application for a permit and Renew permit ”, Opt for “Application for a Permit” then click on Apply
- Enter your details on the Applicant Details. Payment for this type depends on the VISA type.
- Enter the Demographic Details
- Enter the Request and Travel Details. The collection Office is automatically set depending on the Applicant’s resident details.
- Attach all the required documents in the right format and size.
-Photo with white background (Format: JPG, Size:500KB)
-Copy of Passport biodata page(Format:PDF,Size:500KB)
-Application Letter (Format:PDF,Size:500KB)
7. Click on Next to proceed.
8. Verify that the information is true, enter the phone number and/or email address, check the verification box, and click Submit.
9. A billing number/ID (99….) will be generated for payment. Applicants can pay using MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, BK App, BK Branches, and BK Branches, or pay online using VISA or MasterCard.
After all these steps and successfully paid, the applicant receives a status update notification from the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration via Email and Text Message.
Application Fees
The Student and Research Permit’s processing takes 7 days and the Price is 20.000Rwf which is equivalent to 20 USD
VISA Validity
The Study & Research Permit validity is 1 year.
Conclusion: Rwanda is one of the countries worldwide that doesn’t have a strict VISA policy, it allows visa-free access to a handful of neighboring countries
